Carrier strap for bottles or jugs

ABSTRACT

An integrally formed bottle or jug carrier strap for securely and comfortably carrying a pair of bottles or jugs by their neck. An elongate grip has rings at each end and a neck-retaining collar attached to the inner circumference of each ring. Scores on the underside of each ring cause the ring to break at the score when the rings are deformed, permitting the bottle or jug to easily be removed from the carrier strap.

CROSS REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS

This .Iadd.is a reissue of U.S. application, Ser. No. 08/125,352, nowU.S. Pat. No. 5,306,060 which .Iaddend.is a continuation of U.S.application, Ser. No. 07/919,213 filed on Jul. 24, 1992 now abandoned;which is a continuation-in-part of a U.S. design patent application,Ser. No. 07/914,691 filed on Jul. 6, 1992.Iadd., now U.S. Design Pat.No. D. 349,459, .Iaddend.entitled Carrier Strap for Milk Jug Containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an inexpensive, integrally formed bottle orjug carrier strap for securely and comfortably carrying a pair ofbottles or jugs by their neck.

Bottles and other liquid containers, in particular gallon containers,weigh a substantial amount. For example, a filled one gallon milk jugweighs approximately 8.3 pounds. Shoppers wishing to purchase multipleone gallon containers generally must use each hand to carry eachcontainer.

Bottle carriers which enable bottles to be carried by their neck arewell known in the art, as shown by the following:

Erickson U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,468 discloses an integrally formed bottlecarrier wherein the bottle necks are engaged in and supported by asubstantially keyhole shaped opening. The bodies of the bottlesthemselves are clustered and secured by a plurality of integrally formeddepending supports.

Erickson U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,987 describes and claims a bottle cardercapable of carrying a plurality of bottles in a close cluster using aconnecting band which is separated and apart from a bottle-engagingmeans mounted around the necks of the bottle.

Erickson U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,766 describes a two-element strappingmechanism, comprising a connecting band which is separated and apartfrom a bottle-engaging means around the bottle necks for carrying thebottles.

Erickson U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,295 describes an integrally-formed bottlecarrier for carrying a row of bottles side by side by their necks. Thebottles are locked into and removed from a plurality of uniformly basedsplit collars which are mounted within individual frames interconnectedin a single row by one or more longitudinally extending rigid bridgingbars. The split collar is substantially keyhole shaped having splits inlongitudinal direction. Oppositely disposed handles are also providedfor.

Erickson U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,729 describes a strap for carrying a singlebottle by the neck within a split ring opening within a frame member.

The above-mentioned prior art devices each rely upon a substantiallykeyhole-shaped split collar. Insertion and removal of a bottle is madeby forcing open the angular portion of the collar. The bottle carriersare lifted by various means, including finger openings in the top of thedevice or handles which are pivotable upwardly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an inexpensive integrally formed bottleor jug carrying strap that enables the user to securely and comfortablycarry a pair of bottles or jugs.

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes an elongate grip witha ring fixedly attached to each end of the grip. Within each ring is aneck retaining collar attached to the inner circumference of the ring.The neck retaining collars are separated by laterally positioned gaps,forming a distal portion and a proximate portion. Radially aligned withthe gaps are scores on the underside of the rings. Removal of the bottleor jug from the carrier strap is accomplished by deforming the ringslightly upward which will break the ring at the score, permitting thecollar portions to move longitudinally relative to each other and permitthe bottle or jug to be easily removed.

A principal benefit of the carrier strap of this invention is that thereis no need to provide any additional structural elements to enable apair of bottles or jugs to be securely and comfortably carried. Theelongate grip allows the user's whole hand to grasp the loaded carriermid-point between the load, resulting in a balanced, secure andcomfortable hold.

Another important advantage of the carrier strap of this invention isthat the neck retaining collars may be made quite stiff because removalof the bottle or jug does not require that the collar be designed toflex so as to allow the bottle or jug neck to be pulled back through theneck retaining collar.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of theinvention will be more readily understood upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a preferred embodiment of thebottle/jug carrying strap of the present invention showing two jugsmounted in the bottle or jug carrying strap.

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the bottle/jug carrying strapshowing the neck of a jug held within the neck retaining collar.

FIG. 3 is a top elevation view of the bottle/jug carrying strap.

FIG. 4 is a bottom elevation view of the bottle/jug carrying strap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing the bottle/jug carrying strap 10holding a pair of jugs 12 by the neck 14 thereof. When the jugs areinserted into carrying strap 10, they are held in close proximityside-by-side and the carrying strap 10 and jugs may be comfortablylifted and carried with one hand by holding the elongate grip 16.

The carrying strap 10 is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, beingsuitable for conventional plastic injection molding techniques. Recycledpost-consumer polypropylene would be adequate as the major constituentmaterial together with virgin material for the remainder.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that a pair of jugs 12may easily be installed in the carrying strap 10 by placing the neck 14of each jug 12 through the neck-retaining collar 20 in the ring 18 andpressing downward. Because the neck-retaining rings 18 conically taperupwards and are resilient, the respective neck-retaining collar 20travels over the protruding ridge 22 of the neck 14 of the jug 12,snapping into place once it passes over the ridge 22, thereby holdingthe jug by nesting firmly under the lip 24 thereof.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be seen that the elongate grip 16includes ribbing 26 on both the top side 40 (FIG. 3) and bottom side 42(FIG. 4) which provide rigidity to the carrying strap 10, whileminimizing the amount of plastic needed.

Fixedly attached at each end of the elongate grip 16 are the rings 18.Attached to the inner circumference of each ring 18 is a neck-retainingcollar 20 having a proximate portion 28 and a distal portion 30 formedby gaps 32.

The attachment of the proximate portion 28 of the neck-retaining collar20 is substantially contiguous with the associated inner circumferenceof the ring 18.

On the top side 40 of the carrier strap 10, bridging connections 34radiate inward from the inner circumference of the ring 18 and connectboth the proximate portion 28 and the distal portion 30 of theneck-retaining collar 20 to their associated inner circumference of thering 18. Unlike the proximate portion 28 which is substantiallycontiguously connected to the inner circumference of ring 18, the pointsof connection between the distal portion 30 and the ring 18 are bridgingconnections 34 only.

On the bottom side 42 of the rings 18, radially aligned with the gaps32, are scores 36. Also located on the outer circumference of the rings18 are tabs 38. If desired, instructions may be imprinted on the top ofthe tabs 38 instructing the user to "lift to remove". Lifting the tab 38causes the ring 18 to deform and break at the scores 36, therebyreleasing the jug from the neck retaining collar 20.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoingspecification are used therein as terms of description and not oflimitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms andexpressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown anddescribed or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of theinvention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A one-piece carrier strap for carrying a pair ofcontainers, such as jugs, narrow-necked bottles or the like, that are ofa type having an enlarged neck portion, said strap comprising:(a) anelongate grip having a pair of opposite ends; (b) a pair of rings, eachring being fixedly attached to a respective one of said ends of saidgrip, each ring having a pair of scores formed therein; and (c) arespective neck-retaining collar within each ring, each collar having atleast a pair of resiliently yieldable portions that progressivelyapproach each other toward an upper side of said strap for yieldablyreceiving and springably retaining the enlarged neck portion of arespective container of said type that is inserted through said collartoward said upper side, said yieldable portions of each collar being,apart from the corresponding ring, completely separated from each otherby at least a pair of gaps such that if either ring is stressed andthereby broken along said scores, then at least a pair of thecorresponding yieldable portions are fully disconnected from each other.2. The carrier strap of claim 1 wherein each neck-retaining collar isgenerally of frustoconical shape.
 3. The carrier strap of claim 1wherein each ring .[.includes.]. .Iadd.has an interior circumference andan exterior circumference and .Iaddend.a tab portion .Iadd.is.Iaddend.infrangibly attached to .[.the.]. .Iadd.said .Iaddend.exteriorcircumference of .[.said.]. .Iadd.each .Iaddend.ring.
 4. The carrierstrap of claim 1 wherein said grip further includes longitudinal ribs soformed as to provide substantial rigidity to said grip, said ribs beingformed at least in part, along said upper side of said strap.
 5. Thecarrier strap of claim 1 wherein said at least a pair of .Iadd.the.Iaddend.corresponding yieldable portions are fully disconnected fromeach other in such a manner that the corresponding said collar issubsequently incapable of springably retaining the enlarged neck portionof a container of said type.
 6. A one-piece carrier strap for carrying apair of containers, such as jugs, narrow-necked bottles or the like,that are of a type having an enlarged neck portion, said strapcomprising:(a) an elongate grip having a pair of opposite ends; (b) apair of rings, each ring being fixedly attached to a respective one ofsaid ends, each ring including a pair of divisible portions delineatedfrom each other by a pair of scores formed in said ring; (c) arespective neck-retaining collar within each ring, each collar having atleast a pair of resiliently yieldable portions that progressivelyapproach each other toward an upper side of said strap for yieldablyreceiving and springably retaining the enlarged neck portion of arespective container of said type that is inserted through said collartoward said upper side; and (d) at least a pair of said yieldableportions within each ring being independently connected to said ringsuch that if either ring is sufficiently stressed along said scores asto cause the corresponding said divisible portions to completelydisconnect from each other, then the corresponding said at least a pairof said yieldable portions similarly are fully disconnected from eachother.
 7. The carrier strap of claim 6 wherein said at least a pair ofsaid yieldable portions are fully disconnected from each other in such amanner that the corresponding said collar is subsequently incapable ofspringably retaining the enlarged neck portion of a container of saidtype.
 8. The carrier strap of claim 6 .Iadd.wherein each ring has aninterior circumference and an exterior circumference and.Iaddend.further including a respective tab portion infrangibly attachedto .[.the.]. .Iadd.said .Iaddend.exterior circumference of each ring. 9.The carrier strap of claim 8 wherein each tab portion is located incircumferentially spaced position from the corresponding said pair ofscores whereby, due to levering action, there is an increase in themaximum amount of stress imposed on each ring along each score when apredetermined amount of lifting force is applied to the correspondingsaid tab portion.
 10. A one-piece carrier strap for carrying a pair ofcontainers, such as jugs, narrow-necked bottles or the like, that are ofa type having an enlarged neck portion, said strap comprising:(a) anelongate grip having a pair of opposite ends; (b) a pair of rings, eachring being fixedly attached to a respective one of said ends, each ringincluding a pair of divisible portions delineated from each other by apair of scores formed in said ring; (c) a respective neck-retainingcollar within each ring, each collar having at least a pair ofresiliently yieldable portions that progressively approach each othertoward an upper side of said strap for yieldably receiving andspringably retaining the enlarged neck portion of a respective containerof said type that is inserted through said collar toward said upperside; and (d) said yieldable portions being so arranged within each ringthat if either ring is sufficiently stressed along said scores as tocause permanent dislocation of the corresponding said divisibleportions, then the corresponding said yieldable portions aresubsequently incapable of springably retaining the enlarged neck portionof a container of said type.
 11. The carrier strap of claim 10.Iadd.wherein each ring has an interior circumference and an exteriorcircumference and .Iaddend.further including a respective tab portioninfrangibly attached to .[.the.]. .Iadd.said .Iaddend.exteriorcircumference of each ring.
 12. The carrier strap of claim 11 whereineach tab portion is located in circumferentially spaced position fromthe corresponding said pair of scores whereby, due to levering action,there is an increase in the maximum amount of stress imposed on eachring along each score when a predetermined amount of lifting force isapplied to the corresponding said tab portion.
 13. A one-piece carrierstrap for carrying a pair of containers, such as jugs, narrow-neckedbottles or the like, that are of a type having an enlarged neck portion,said strap comprising:(a) an elongate grip having a pair of oppositeends; (b) a pair of outer supporting members, each member being fixedlyattached to a respective one of said ends and including an arcuatelyextending inner edge; (c) a pair of neck-retaining collars each ofgenerally annular shape and having an exterior circumference, eachcollar being supported from the inner edge of a corresponding one ofsaid supporting members by a plurality of bridging connections thatextend radially outwardly from said exterior circumference, each collarincluding at least a pair of resiliently yieldable arcuate-shapedportions that progressively approach each other toward an upper side ofsaid strap for yieldably receiving and springably retaining the enlargedneck portion of a respective container of said type that is insertedthrough said collar toward said upper side, each arcuate-shaped portionincluding a curved outside edge bordering said exterior circumference ofthe corresponding said collar; and (d) an arcuately extending rib beingformed along at least a major extent of said outside edge of at leastone of said arcuate-shaped portions on each collar for resistingoverstressing of each respective at least one arcuate-shaped portion bydistributing any force applied to a minor portion of each respective atleast one arcuate-shaped portion over a major portion thereof as whensaid minor portion is acted upon by the enlarged neck portion of arespective container of said type while said enlarged neck portion istilted relative to the corresponding collar during insertion throughsaid corresponding collar.